


An infinite passing

by jackshortie



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Afterlife, Angst, Character Death, F/F, Fluff, Hell, Hunter X Hunter Spoilers, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Needles, Spoilers, Stitches, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-22
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-12 23:54:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29642631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackshortie/pseuds/jackshortie
Summary: As the Phantom Troupe members pass away one by one, they learn the truth about that their punishment may be worse than it looks on the surface.
Relationships: Machi/Pakunoda, Uvogin | Ubogin/Shalnark
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	An infinite passing

**Author's Note:**

> MAJOR MANGA SPOILERS ! !

After Pakunoda fired those shots, the nen dagger was activated and her heart was pierced. While the last thing she felt was Shizuku’s warm hand, her soul was halfway traveling to the afterlife. 

“Pakunoda? Is that you?” A low voice spoke and she opened her eyes. She turned her head and saw a familiar tall figure standing a few meters away. “... Uvogin?” She rubbed her eyes to see clearly.

“Well fuck, it is you! How the hell did you die?” Uvogin took a few steps closer and helped her get up.

“I’m glad you’re alright. I assume this is…the afterlife.” Pakunoda looked around in amazement but confusion. They were in something that could be compared to a doctor’s waiting room, except a lot creepier. The walls were barely holding on and some of the chairs were thrown around the room. Moss grew around the walls and it overall looked like it could collapse any moment.

“The administration will get to you soon, they sent me to explain the basics since we know each other, but firstly, tell me what happened!” Uvogin insisted.

“It looks different from what the boss told us what death would be like.” She recalled the stories he told over time. They were interesting stories for sure, but nobody knew to what extent they would be right. Looking at this, it was the furthest from “right”.

“We are in one of the worst places we could have gone too, but it’s not as bad as I expected. It can be compared to Meteor city. Messy, abandoned, but in the end, we can make it our own place. Now tell me what happened!” He grabbed her shoulders out of enthusiasm. It was obvious he did miss them and Pakunoda knew she was going to miss them too.

“A lot, honestly.” Pakunoda explained everything she knew and it took Uvogin a moment to fully understand and process the situation. 

“That damn chain user. Boss better kill him so I can beat him up here.” He was pissed off, thinking about how much damage Kurapika had done to the Troupe, “And Hisoka’s going down too. Damn traitor.” 

“If I’m correct the rest would be looking for a nen exorcist, but it’s a mystery what Hisoka or the chain user will do next.” Pakunoda said.

“My guess? They’re trying to send all of us here one by one. They have some sort of deal, I think that the chain user has agreed to leave the boss to Hisoka if he would help killing all the others.” Uvogin sat down on the floor. 

“Probably.” Pakunoda leaned against the wall and discussed their ideas. 

After that Uvogin gave her a small tour and she quickly realised what he meant when it looked like Meteor City. If this was supposedly the bad place, then there were way too many innocent people, and telling from their looks and properties, they were treated the same way here as they were six feet up. Like scum.   
It annoyed Pakunoda for sure, seeing that the afterlife was just another reflection of the place they used to live life in. 

He stopped in front of two curtains. “This is the only place I have right now, you can stay here too if you want.” The curtains revealed a sea container, with some lights hanging with duct tape from the ceiling, there was a mini fridge in the back and a few mattresses on the floor, some filled with pieces of clothing. It wasn’t much at all, but for the first night Pakunoda didn’t have much choice. She got some clean clothing from Uvogin and got changed with him holding a curtain in front of her to block his own view. 

Pakunoda didn’t sleep that night, her thoughts were filled with confusion and questions. It all felt so odd to be back in slumps. She decided that tomorrow she will explore the area, seeing what was the best technique for creating a comfortable environment. If Uvogin was right and this is really the place where the badder people go to, then it would possibly mean having to be on constant alert. 

After all, she lost her gun. Uvogin explained that nen doesn’t exist. Since it’s life energy. There is no life left here, so no one aged here either. Everyone’s body stays in the same state as it was when it died, so no food or forms of circulation is needed to keep it going. With Pakunoda that meant that there was still a stab wound in her heart, which stinged but since it was consistent she got used to it faster than expected. Of course Uvogin had the same feeling in his heart, but he also took on some damage during his fight with the chain user. It all made a lot of sense, but she wished that she had her ability to rely on rather than her own physical form. It wasn’t as if she could receive physical damage, but she could still be attacked over her properties and have to fight over it. 

As soon as she could feel the air getting warmer she left the container, with Uvogin still asleep. He’d probably realise and understand. 

There were a few conclusions Pakunoda could come to after walking around about an hour: There is most likely no end to these slumps, and they’re filled with everyone that ever died, meaning that they will stay here forever. There’s such a high chance that in a decade the whole Phantom Troupe should be reunited again. Then they would all start over again just like they did in Meteor City.

Pakunoda went back and saw that Uvogin had woken up, doing a workout. “You know you can’t get stronger, right? You can’t alter your body.” Pakunoda said after she opened the curtains. 

“I can’t sit still all day. Then boredom would be the end of me.” He said as he got up again, “How did it go?” 

“Bad. I hate the place.” She said as she sighed and rushed her fingers through her hair, “Basically all we can do is try to make living more comfortable, but without being able to experience any physical pain it’s going to be boring.” 

“Yeah, I was thinking of finding a better place to stay or maybe some activity we could do.” 

“So where does all this come from?” She wondered, realising that all these things couldn’t have just been created out of nothing.

“Not sure, I heard rumours that once again we’re some dump place for the trash of the rich. Except the rich, are now from the better place.” The more one learned about the afterlife, the more parallels to Meteor City formed. 

A few days passed, they managed to get a more comfortable place. WIthin weeks, they had created a name for themselves in the region, knowing for breaking the bones of people they stole from. With no reattachment of tissue, they’d be stuck struggling to walk forever, or even worse, they break it to the point that they could never walk again. Although it didn’t hurt, if you can’t move your leg, you can’t chase the thief. 

Pakunoda definitely realised after five months that it was an awful place to be in. There was nothing that excited her or made this place boring, since it’s all the same. Eventually she and Uvogin decided to try and draw portraits of the Phantom Troupe as accurately as possible in case their faces may fade in their memories. Uvogin was definitely the better artist, but Pakunoda had a way stronger memory, an effect from training her ability. 

Eight months had passed, the only reason one slept here was to waste time, but at this point there was no wasting if time lasted forever. It was eating away at them, this was their punishment for the lives they took, this boredom and somehow loneliness. 

About a year later someone knocked on their doors, Pakunoda opened the door and received a letter from a tall figure wearing a hood. She recognized them from the administration, figuring they were some grim reaper or worker in the afterlife. She opened the letter quickly, slightly excited for something new.

“Dear Pakunoda and Uvogin, please come to waiting room 3 & 6 as soon as possible. A new acquaintance has arrived.” 

No signature, or sender. “Hey, Uvo!” She yelled, hoping he could hear it. 

“Yeah?” He said, muffled and not interested.

“We got a letter. We have to go to waiting room 3 & 6.” 

“Oh fuck yeah!” His tone immediately changed and came running to her. She handed him the letter and soon enough grabbed her hand and dragged her along to outside.

“Uvo? What’s this?” She was confused. 

“Every time someone we spent more than 500 hours with dies and comes here, we get a letter to help give them a tour or to see them. I got the same letter when you died.” He obviously hoped it was and wasn’t someone from the Troupe. 

Pakunoda’s lips curled into a smile. Since both their names were on it, she assumed that it was someone they both knew. In her own selfishness she wished for it to Machi, since she missed her the most, but then again she would never wanted Machi to be stuck in this place like she is right now, let alone wish for her death. 

Once they reached the administration Uvogin gave the person behind the desk the letter and they gave them directions to the waiting rooms. Since there were two waiting rooms, Pakunoda and Uvogin decided to split up. Uvogin went in room 3 and Pakunoda went in room 6. 

Uvogin slowly opened the door to waiting room 3 and flinched as he saw what happened. 

Kortopi was lying there in two parts, they’re head and body separated. They were still asleep with a calm face, but it was terrifying to see. This meant that they most definitely died through decapitation. Though there was no blood since their flow had stopped, it made Uvogin sick to his stomach to see them like that. 

Kortopi was the youngest member of the Troupe, as far as Uvogin knew about the members before his death, so it was unfortunate to see them here so early. They barely had lived their life and died at age 15. He decided to see if he could find someone to stitch their body back together, though everything below their neck would probably not function anymore. He started thinking about getting a wheelchair, but started mostly having mercy for them. It was already bad enough for him to not be able to do much, but for Kortopi it was way worse, they can’t move at all. He cautiously picked up their parts, hoping to not wake them up. He decided to go to room 6 for now and see who’s there, and how bad the damage for them was. 

Pakunoda opened the door at the same time as Uvogin did, except she was welcomed by a screaming voice. 

“ARGH! I’M GOING TO FUCKING KILL HIM. HISOKA I SWEAR ON MY LIFE-”

“Shalnark…?” Pakunoda tilted her head lightly as she recognised his voice and built. 

He slowly turned around. “Pakunoda, he killed Kortopi! He decapitated them- he… Wait. What are you doing here?” It was obvious that Shalnark didn’t realise yet, as he was probably shaken up by the events before his death. Pakunoda could conclude that Kortopi was the person in the other waiting room. 

“Shalnark…” Pakunoda didn’t know how to break it to him. He just stood there and stared in thought. “Am I…?” He tried.

She nodded softly, with some sort of smile of pity. “Oh…” He hung his head and started at his feet and fiddled with his fingers. 

“Is Kortopi here too then?” 

“Yeah, they’re in another room with Uvogin.” Pakunoda pulled him into an embrace to comfort him from the shock. She couldn’t even imagine how badly Kortopi was handling it as they were way younger.   
“Wait… is Uvo here?” Shalnark’s face lit up a little, a spark of hope in his eyes. 

She nodded, realising that although she wished for Machi to come back, the person she loved most, Uvogin was the one that got back the person he loved most, Shalnark. 

“Can I see him?” He let go, looking around if he could see Uvo in this room. 

“Of course.” She said as she opened the door and they both left the room. Once standing in the hallway, they saw Uvogin with Kortopi in his arms standing on the other side. 

All three of them stood there in shock, Pakunoda and Shalnark to see Kortopi’s body, or what was left of it, and Uvogin to see Shalnark. Pakunoda caught on quickly and walked towards Uvogin to take over Kortopi’s body. She pushed Kortopi’s hair out of their face and looked at the still asleep child. At that point she got slightly emotional and pushed herself not to cry. 

Once Uvogin made sure Kortopi was in safe hands, he turned to Shalnark, who was a few feet away. 

“I got tired of waiting for you to come back, Uvo... so I guess I came to you.” Shalnark said, thinking back to the moment that Uvogin told him he’d come back. 

“You’re a fucking idiot. You should’ve lived longer.” Uvogin smiled, but it was filled with pain, and Shalnark could tell. He ran up to Uvogin and jumped onto him. Swinging his arms around the guy’s neck. Uvogin wrapped his arms around Shalnark’s torso and squeezed tight. It was odd not being able to feel each other's body warmth, but the pressure and the knowledge of holding each other was enough for them. Uvogin could feel Shalnark’s suppressed sobs, but didn’t acknowledge it, knowing that Shalnark hated crying. He had only seen him cry one time before, but that was their little secret. 

“M-my head hurts.” Shalnark softly spoke. It was because that was the blow that killed him, right in the dome. 

“You’ll get used to it.” Uvogin ensured, caressing his hair. 

“Guys… Kortopi is waking up.” Pakunoda interrupted as she saw movement in Kortopi’s eyes. 

“Pakunoda... Why does everything hurt so much?” They softly spoke, voice breaking of pain. 

“It’s okay Kortopi, we’re going to help you.” She assured, but that was a white lie, as she didn’t know if they could be helped at all. 

They looked to the side and their eyes widened as they saw their body. 

Shalnark quickly let go of Uvogin and ran towards Kortopi, trying to get their attention. “Hey Kortopi, listen to me. Remember, we were together, in the park? We are still together, I’m not going anywhere, alright?” His way of assurement did distract them in a way, as they stopped looking at their body.   
“Shalnark… why is my body there? W-what’s going on??” There was fear in Kortopi’s voice, so much of it, that it hurt all of them to hear it.

“Look at me Kortopi. What’s the last thing you remember? Can you tell me that?” He tried to keep eye contact and Kortopi was staring in his eyes when deep in thought. 

“We were in the park, I went to the bathroom… then… Hisoka.” Kortopi stopped their sentence as they remembered. “Is that why Pakunoda is here?” 

“That’s right. We died, but look… we’re with Uvo and Paku now, you lost your body but you have us. It isn’t much but we are used to not having much. We have each other. I promise you I’m not going anywhere.” Even if this dire situation somehow Shalnark managed to give Kortopi hope by speaking the truth. “I promise you I’ll find a way to get your body attached again. We’ll get you a wheelchair and I promise that someone will always stay with you to take you wherever you want to go. You hear me. No one is leaving you behind. We’re your family.” 

When Shalnark said that Kortopi slowly nodded. “Thank you.” They said, getting a little calmer. “That being said, let’s find a way to attach your body.” Shalnark said as he signaled for directions. 

“We have to go to administration first. After that we can go and do whatever we want.” Uvogin said as he pointed. Pakunoda handed over Kortopi to Shalnark and took the lead as Uvogin took care of the administration as he did it for himself and Pakunoda too. 

“Alright. So, you guys have been here for a while, any doctors around? Or anyone who can do stitching?” Shalnark said as he looked around once they were outside. 

“Basically the rules of this place are-” 

“Pakunoda, that was not my question. My priority is Kortopi. This whole hell place can come later.” Shalnark stared forward. He had a clear cause. It was nice for Pakunoda to see that at least someone here was motivated to move forward. She wasn’t surprised though, Shalnark was always like a big brother to Kortopi, and he could be very protective when it came to anyone in the Phantom Troupe. It sure bothers him that he can’t make sure the others are safe right now, not being sure what Hisoka’s next step could possibly be.

“I think there is. Someone has to put those bones back that we broke.” Uvogin said, almost proud. 

Shalnark decided not to question it for now and waited for directions, but it seemed none of them had a clue. They didn’t split up on Shalnark’s request for Kortopi’s utmost safety and started walking around asking others. Most spat on them in disgust as revenge for the stuff that Pakunoda and Uvogin stole from then. Uvogin awkwardly scratched his head as Shalnark gave him an annoyed glance. It was not as if Uvogin knew these people would be useful one day. 

After a few questions Pakunoda recognised one of the people she broke their arms who was using them perfectly fine across the street doing the laundry. She ran towards him. “Hey, could you please tell me how you got your arms fixed?” She said it in a flirtatious way, maybe to seduce him for her advantage. 

“Why the fuck would I tell you that?” He said, surprised Pakunoda even had the guts to ask. 

She rolled her eyes. “What do you need for that information?”

“I want my blankets back… and my curtains.” He said with a sassy undertone. 

“You’re mad about curtains?!” Shalnark yelled from across the street, who heard the conversation. 

“The fuck I am, huh?! What about it, you fucker?!” He yelled back.

Shalnark side glanced at Uvogin, as if he was trying to ask if everyone was so on edge. Uvogin nodded with disappointment, as if he could read Shalnark’s mind.

“Okay, you’ll get them back. Deal. Now where is the doctor?” Pakunoda rushed as she shook his hand to finish off the deal. 

“I expect it back within 24 hours. Two blocks then left and after three blocks right. Second door of the first street.” With a grunt he turned away from Pakunoda and continued putting up the laundry. Pakunoda gave him a smile and nod of gratitude and with that information they walked at a quick pace with the given directions. Within ten minutes they stood in front of an iron door. Uvogin knocked and the door almost immediately opened. Behind it stood someone that could be compared to a catlike person with dark pink eyes and an orange glow.

“What’s the injury?” Their voice was high and friendlier than expected. 

“A severed head, it’s the cause of death.” Uvogin spoke, showing Kortopi’s body that was in Shalnark’s hands.

“I can’t make the body move again, but I can attach it. Will that do?” They tapped their fingers against the door, almost seen as nervous as they stared at Kortopi. 

“Anything will help.” Shalnark said. 

They led the group inside and directed them to the main room. “You can put them there, I’ll get the tools.” They pointed at a hospital bed, and that’s when Pakunoda noticed they only had four fingers. 

“I thought only humans came to the afterlife.” She asked them while putting Kortopi down on the bed as they were rummaging through random boxes. 

“Pouf! Can you get me the needles!” They yelled to the ceiling, indicating someone was upstairs. “People that are mostly human come here. Me, Neferpitou, and Shaiapouf here,” They said as a tall man with a purple toned skin came down the stairs, holding a carton box. “we’re about eighty percent human. So we’re stuck here, though we haven’t been here for long, I’d say about two or three weeks.” Pitou explained. 

“We are chimeras who consist mostly out of human DNA, our friend and sire unfortunately didn’t, so we lost both of them.” Pouf added and put down the box in front of them. He looked up at Kortopi and stared for a moment. 

“Pitou…” He said, not finishing his sentence, but Pitou already knew what he was going to say. They felt the same way.

“What’s wrong?” Shalnark interfered, not liking the sad looks on their faces when glaring at Kortopi. 

“Your friend… they remind me of someone else. He had the same long light hairs as they do and I killed him by decapitating him. Eventually his death led to mine.” Pitou tilted their head to look more closely at Kortopi, but realised that staring would only give them more flashbacks to their fight with Gon. 

“Alright,” They put on gloves and prepared the needle for the stitches, “Since it has to be attached firmly and it’s a big stitch, I think it might take about three hours… You guys can either wait outside or-” 

“I’ll wait here.” Shalnark didn’t even let them finish as he sat down at the nearest chair in the room. 

“Okay, noted.” Pitou said as they sat down next to Kortopi lying on the bed, “In case you don’t know yet, you can’t feel any pain besides the pain during the moment your soul left your body. The moment you die is the state your body is in during the afterlife. Since you’ve been decapitated, your lower part of your body was not working just before you died since it was seperated. I cannot give you back your body, however, I will reattach your head so you can still be whole, just dysfunctional. We can have a conversation if you want, or you can try and sleep to pass the time, there’s no need to worry.” Pitou was very calm while explaining, almost in a kind voice. They hoped that if they were kind enough to their surroundings, that maybe there would be forgiveness. They didn’t know from whom they wanted forgiveness, but the craving was there. 

Pouf knew he wanted forgiveness from Pitou. His quest to kill the girl led to so many faults and mistakes in their attempt to defend the king, it was almost as if he was to blame for their failure. He lied to Pitou and as they only had each other being stuck here, he realised that maybe he should build up their relationship again, after he tore it apart when they were alive. 

Maybe it was their human parts shining through after their death that made them a better person. Forgiveness was definitely a more human emotion, so that’s why they changed so much after their death. It was a lesson, with an infinite price to pay. 

With a nod Kortopi agreed and closed their eyes, trying to be as comfortable as possible as they could feel the needle piercing their skin. It indeed didn’t hurt, but it was an unusual feeling, almost unique. Pitou got to work, was precise and accurate, and as stated with assistance of Pouf they had finished reattachment in three hours. 

Kortopi’s body looked back to normal, as their clothes and hair mostly hid the stitches. They could even move their neck a little bit and move around. “I think I have a wheelchair in the attic too, would you like it?” Pitou suggested and Kortopi agreed. 

“Pouf. Get a wheelchair.” They ordered, and with a sigh he walked up the stairs again and came back with a simple wheelchair. Shalnark lifted them in it and placed their hand and feet in a natural seating position. 

“Is this better?” Shalnark asked as he crouched down a little. 

“Yes. Thank you for everything, Shalnark. It means a lot.” Kortopi gave a bright smile. He patted their head, “Of course, bud.” 

“What’s the price?” Pakunoda asked, getting straight to the point. 

“You guys made quite a name for breaking other people’s bones, huh? I don’t mind extra clients and I don’t plan on stopping you guys, but try and make cleaner breaks, some of the bones you completely shatter I can’t fix and I don’t want to disappoint a client too much.” Pitou said, leaning against the wall. 

“It’s a deal.” Pakunoda said, shaking again one's hand today, sealing on an agreement.

They left the place and once standing outside Shalnark pushed the wheelchair and turned to Uvogin. “Now where the fuck are we and how the hell does it work?” He asked bluntly. 

Uvogin chuckled before explaining everything he explained to Pakunoda a while ago, this time adding the information that he and Pakunoda learned over the past eleven months.

“Sounds boring as hell, of course, I’m glad I can see you guys, but eternal life without extreme physical feeling can get boring so fast.” Shalnark said after the explanation. 

“Trust me. It is awful, however, our cute Shalnark always seems to light things up, doesn’t he?” Uvogin teased, ruffling his hair to the point it was messy.

Shalnark chuckled, looking down to hide his blush. “I’ll do my best.” He said it softer, as if he was embarrassed to say it. 

“We’ll get through it, as long as we stick together.” Pakunoda added. Once she reached the door of the place that Uvogin and her have been staying in, she opened it and gave Shalnark and Kortopi a small tour. 

In the corner of his eye Shalnark saw the curtains and blankets that guy wanted back, but we all knew that we weren’t going to play fair for a guy like that. If he wanted to get it back forcefully, then that meant another patient for Pitou, with clean broken bones, as they requested. The group somehow had respect for Pitou to an extent, as they seemed like the person who has gone through the same things they did. 

“Overall pretty nice place, but you can tell it was made by two people with different tastes.” Shalnark said, checking every corner of the place out. 

“So you’re going to add your taste as a third?” Uvogin joked.

“Exactly.” Shalnark was serious about that one, however, “We’re going to make it work. We always do. But first… Uvo, I want a kiss, I missed you fucking much.” Shalnark walked towards Uvogin and held out his arms, waiting for a hug and a kiss. 

“I could never say no to you.” Uvogin said he hugged the blonde and as Shalnark stood on his toes to reach for a kiss. It was a long one, not too deep, and again it felt odd to feel no warmth, but the softness was comforting. Shalnark laughed brightly and it made Uvogin’s heart melt. God, he missed that smile. Even if it was eternity, even if it was boring, maybe they could get through it together. It’s not as if they got bored of each other easily. Besides, now that Shalnark got Uvogin back, he doesn’t plan on letting him go. 

Kortopi noticed Pakunoda’s gloomy expression. “Machi is doing alright. She visits your grave every week and misses you so much, but she also knows you don’t want her to stand still in time.” It was as if Kortopi knew exactly what Pakunoda wanted to hear. She smiled softly.

“I just feel selfish for wishing she was here.” She crossed her arms and sighed deeply. 

“I get that, but let her live her life. She’s not going to forget you.” They gave an assuring smile.

Pakunoda was surprised by Kortopi’s words. “Where did you get so wise?” 

“Kalluto tends to be the wisest despite his age. He’s a nice person to talk with.” 

“Who?” 

“Right! Kalluto is our new number 4. He’s only ten, but amazing. Phinks and Feitan took a liking to him and are taking him in like a little brother,” Shalnark interfered, as he and Uvogin had already moved to sitting on the couch together, Shalnark sitting on his lap, listening to Pakunoda and Kortopi’s conversation. “Also, the white haired kid we met in York New? That’s his older brother. He’s a Zoldyck apparently.” He added.

“Seems like so much time has passed.” Uvogin said.   
“It’s been almost a year after all, let’s hope we don’t see the other members soon, though...

For their sake.”

**Author's Note:**

> sobs i just want uvoshal to be happy together again


End file.
